The Most Morose and Betrayed Heir of Black
by snazzytuls
Summary: Sirius Orion Black did not have everything; but being madly in love was good enough for him.  His 'everything' was unjustly ripped from him one day though.  The betrayed Sirius struggles to re-obtain his everything.  Sequel to Most Noble and Handsome Heir
1. Moving Out

Sirius Orion Black had it all. His _own_ flat (well he still had to buy one); a hard-earned fortune (actually..well..he _inherited_ it); and a perfect fiancé (who still had yet to say yes). Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his recently-shortened black hair. The Marauders had finished with Hogwarts a little over a month ago, and absolutely nothing had happened since then. Sirius hadn't seen anyone but James—he was most definitely not satisfied. The only person the boy currently wanted to see was one Remus John Lupin. But, according to the werewolf's letters, his parents would not be letting that happen anytime soon. Although Remus was a more than capable wizard, his parents were not ready to let go of their little wolf-pup. In Sirius's very humble opinion, Remus was ready to live on his own. (Well, actually he was ready to live with _Sirius_, in Sirius's opinion.) The grey-eyed boy sighed and flopped onto his borrowed bed. "Something wrong, mate?" James entered the room to find Sirius tearing a paper to shreds.  
"Course not. Everything's just peachy." He pointed his wand at the shreds. "Reparo."  
"Then what are you doing?" Sirius just shurged. James grabbed the letter from his hand. "'Parents said I have to stay home today.' This is why you're sulking?" Sirius pouted. "You can apparate can't you?" The Black blushed.  
"I don't actually know where he lives." James erupted in laughter. "It's not _my_ fault!" His blushed darkened. "It's not like his parents would just invite me over."  
"Well why don't you ask him where he lives?" The bespectacled boy was still laughing. Sirius slid off the bed, snatched the letter from James, and tore it up again.  
"I will!" The former quidditch star smiled as Sirius scribbled a quick note to Remus. "We'll have a _great_ time without you later." The dog-animagus sat on the window-ledge and watched his owl fly off.  
Sirius remained in the same spot until his saw his owl returning forty minutes later. He read Remus's reply with a smile. The pureblood closed his eyes and focused on Remus. With a distinctive 'pop!' he arrived at the Lupin household. Remus, who heard Sirius arrive, flung open the door before the other boy could knock. "Hey Moony." The werewolf threw his arms around Sirius's neck.  
"Hi, Pads." He smiled and buried his face in Remus's amber hair. "Would you like to come in?" Sirius kissed the top of his boyfriend's head.  
"I'd like nothing better." The boys laced their fingers together and entered the house. But they had hardly crossed the threshold when the Lupins joined them. Their eyes widened as they saw the boy who was trying to take their son away from them.  
"Oh Remus, you have a guest?" Sirius tightened his grip. "I don't remember you mentioning one."  
"Well that's because I didn't, Mum. But now that he's here, it would be a waste to send him away." Remus smiled at his parents. "Don't you agree?" John Lupin put a hand on his wife's shoulder as if to say 'there's nothing we can do about it now'. "I'm going to show Sirius around, if that's alright?" His father just nodded slowly. The werewolf led Sirius up the stairs. Elizabeth Lupin had wanted to say something in protest, but she remained silent. She's had to let him go sometime—no matter how unready she thought he was.  
"So they really don't like me." Remus pulled Sirius into his room.  
"It's not that they don't like you personally." The pureblood scoffed. "It's just that they're _still_ having a hard time dealing with their werewolf of a son being gay." Sirius looked ready to say something, but Remus shook his head. "But you didn't come over here just to talk about my parents." Remus let go of Sirius's hand and threaded his fingers in that black hair. The animagus gripped the werewolf's hips and brought their lips together.  
"You're right. I came over to do that." Remus smiled. "And to steal you away of course. How in the world are we supposed to look for flats together if I'm not allowed to see you?"  
"Still hung up on the flat idea, then?"  
"Course." Sirius gripped the werewolf's hips tighter and pulled him closer. "Let's go now—seeing as I finally caught you." Remus gnawed at his lip and looked at his closed door.  
"Right now?" Sirius nodded. "Where?"  
"London?" Remus laughed a little.  
"London's a pretty big city." The pureblood shrugged his shoulders and smiled.  
"Well I'm free all day." Remus, who had completely forgotten why he even said no in the first place, beamed. He pulled Sirius's lips down to his own. "Yes?"  
"Yes."

The sun was just beginning to set when Remus and Sirius returned to the Lupin house. John and Elizabeth seized Remus as they walked into the house. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick!" The werewolf shrugged them off.  
"I've just been out. I'm fine." John looked behind his son at Sirius with some distaste.  
"So you were out all day with _that boy_, even after everything we had to go through with you." Remus winced—his lycanthropy was clearly 'everything'. Sirius, who was most definitely not going to watch from the sidelines, gripped Remus's hand.  
"Remus isn't a little boy anymore. You can't coddle him and then bully him whenever you want anymore." The werewolf squeezed Sirius's hand.  
"It's alright Sirius." He took a deep breath. "I'm moving out and living with Sirius." The Lupins looked at their son in shock. "We were looking at flats today."  
"Where do you expect to get the money for a flat?"  
"Well you see Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, my late Uncle left me quite a fortune." Sirius ruffled his hair a bit sheepishly. "So I'd say we could afford a small flat." Elizabeth Lupin bit her lip and looked up at her husband. Now that his earlier anger had deflated, John was looking at his son thoughtfully.  
"I guess there's nothing else to it then." He put his hand on Remus's shoulder. "You're always welcome to come back, Remus." The werewolf let go of Sirius's hand and hugged his parents.  
"I know. It's not like this goodbye." That boy grew much too old much too fast, Elizabeth thought as she watched Sirius and Remus go upstairs. Sure they didn't exactly have the ideal family-life, but they were still family. She'd still miss her little pup.


	2. The Flat

Sirius and Remus knew they didn't have many possessions, but looking at their new, barren flat their meager cardboard boxes looked silly. Even with the _essentials _the couple brought, they had nothing they needed to fill a flat. Sirius wrapped an arm around Remus's waist and looked at their empty living room. "At least it came with a fridge and a stove." The werewolf laughed a little.  
"Yeah. Now all we need is everything else." The lovers were quite ready to break in their new apartment—bed or not—when someone knocked. Sirius groaned and buried his head in the crook of Remus's neck.  
"Can we tell them to go away?"  
"It's probably James. Telling him to go away won't work." The pureblood groaned and unfurled himself from Remus.  
"If this is Prongs, then I'm going to hex you." Sirius opened the door to find James, Lily, and Peter.  
"Gonna hex us too, Padfoot?" They strolled into the empty flat.  
"It's a bit empty mate." Lily smiled at their little cardboard boxes.  
"Well you know we just moved in five minutes ago, Prongs." Peter laughed and wandered through the flat. "Why don't you get us some things to fill it up with?" James wrinkled his nose.  
"That reminds me, my parents want you to come over. They're planning on giving you dishes." Sirius grinned and placed his arm back around Remus's waist.  
"Excellent! Your parents are brilliant." James smiled, but only for a moment. He remembered his other, much more serious reason for visiting. The bespectacled boy threw an arm around Sirius's shoulder.  
"Hey Pads, I have something to talk about away from the girlfriends." Remus frowned.  
"Who the hell are you calling a girl, Prongs?" James laughed nervously.  
"Why Lily of course." He dragged a quite unwilling Sirius away from the 'girlfriends' and into an empty room. He released the other animagus and worriedly looked out the window. "So I found out how to contact the Order of the Phoenix."  
"And you didn't want Moony to know that?" James looked over at Lily and Remus who were opening the cardboard boxes.  
"Well I didn't exactly want to tell Lily. And I thought maybe you guys had the same dynamic." Sirius shook his head and threw an arm around James's shoulders.  
"You see James, Remus would absolutely kill me if I ever kept anything as serious as this from him. Especially considering how much he wants to be a part of the Order." Sirius clipped James in the back of the head. "Knowing Lily, she'll feel the same. So talk to her about it." The bespectacled boy rubbed his throbbing head.  
"Alright, alright. You didn't have to hit me mate." He looked over at Lily; she caught his eye and smiled. "I'll go talk about it with her now. Have fun in the new apartment." He winked. James then walked back to Lily, put an arm around her waist, and whispered in her ear. She nodded and smiled at him.  
"Looks like we're leaving. We'll visit again soon." And, with a distinct pop, they were gone. Sirius took advantage of this and wrapped his arms around Remus. He was quite ready to say 'Now where did we leave off?' so Remus could say something incredibly sexy and they could shag on the floor. But things did not go as planned.  
"James?" Peter very awkwardly reentered the room. He looked extremely crestfallen upon only seeing Remus and Sirius. "They left?"  
"Fraid so Pete." The blonde looked at his feet.  
"I guess I'll be going then." He disapparated. Remus laughed a little awkwardly and turned to face Sirius.  
"I forgot he was here." Sirius nodded in agreement before crashing his lips down onto Remus's.  
"But now that we're finally alone, what do you say about breaking in the flat?" The werewolf reddened slightly.  
"Considering we have yet to buy a mattress, you had better be gentle." Sirius smiled and moved his hands to the hem of the werewolf's shirt.  
"Oh I will be." In record time the animagus had his boyfriend's and his own clothes off. He rested his forehead against Remus's and lightly brushed their lips together. "I love you, Remus."  
"I love you too, Sirius." The pureblood lifted the werewolf and pressed him against the wall of their new apartment. Remus clutched tighter as Sirius slid in. The couple groaned as they moved together. Remus's back was sliding against the wall in a way that would be uncomfortable if Sirius's lips weren't so hotly on his own. The werewolf couldn't be bothered to think about something like that when Sirius was filling him so completely. "Ahh.._Sirius_." This threw the animagus over the edge. He climaxed and then buried his head into the crook of Remus's neck.  
"Have I told you how amazing you are?" The werewolf groaned and loosened his hold on Sirius.  
"I won't understand you properly until I get off this wall." Sirius laughed and unwound himself from the werewolf. "Now get me a mattress." Remus went to lie on the floor, but Sirius stopped him.  
"You have something so much better than a mattress right here." He laid down first and pulled Remus on top of him. The werewolf nuzzled into his boyfriend's chest. Their flat was still rather empty, but now it felt more like home to the lovers.

* * *

"I don't think you should join the Order of the Phoenix." Lily ripped her wrist from James's grasp. "It's dangerous!"  
"If it's so dangerous, why the hell are all you joining?"  
"We all want to help." Lily laughed sardonically.  
"And I don't want to?" James couldn't look at those emerald eyes. "I'm joining with or without your approval." She sighed and titled his chin up. "I would much rather have it though." He laced their fingers together.  
"I love you, Lils. I'm just worried something will happen." She smiled and kissed his cheek.  
"Nothing will if you promise to watch my back."  
"I wouldn't dream of leaving it unguarded." James released Lily's hand and engulfed her in a hug. "You know, I'll only be able to stop worrying if you marry me." She nuzzled into his chest.  
"Is that so Potter?" He kissed the top of her head. "Alright then."  
"I love you, Lily."  
"Love you too, James."


	3. The Order of  Flying Motorbikes

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore unhappily looked at the cluster of young adults gathered before him. They were all much too young to be involved in this war he thought. But desperate times call for desperate measures—and boy was the Order becoming desperate since their numbers started dwindling. These kids were hardly out of Hogwarts, and they wanted to fight. "Are you all positive about this?" They all nodded solemnly. "Then welcome to the Order of the Phoenix."  
"We're willing to help in any way we can to take down Voldemort." The rest nodded in agreement.  
"I appreciate your enthusiasm James. We'll be having a meeting in two weeks—I'll keep you all notified." The Marauders plus Lily all made to leave the Three Broomsticks when Dumbledore raised a hand. "Remus if I could talk to you privately for one second." Sirius looked ready to stay as well. "Don't worry Sirius; I'll be done with him in a moment." He smiled at the uncertain boy.  
"It'll only be a moment. I'll meet you outside, love." Sirius discreetly squeezed Remus's hand before leaving the bar with everyone else. "Would this conversation happen to be about werewolves?" Dumbledore smiled and adjusted his glasses.  
"Always the perceptive one." Remus smiled, but only for a second. "Please excuse the apparent lack of tack, but your 'ability' could be of extremely important use to the order." Remus grimaced but didn't say anything. "I know your friends will want to know about this, but please refrain from telling them just yet. My plan is still extremely fragile." Remus was subconsciously ready to ask 'Even Sirius?'. "Yes, even Sirius." Remus blushed and nodded. "I'll send you a message when it's time to make our move."  
"I'll be waiting, Professor." Dumbledore's smile returned full-blown.  
"Albus suits me just fine." Remus smiled.  
"Alright then Albus, I'll be seeing you." The werewolf slipped away from his old headmaster. As soon as he left the bar, Sirius grabbed his elbow.  
"So?" Remus shook his head.  
"It wasn't anything important. Let's go home, yeah?" Sirius looked at his boyfriend worriedly.  
"Are you sure everything's alright?"  
"It's fine, Sirius." He smiled and brought a hand to the pureblood's cheek. "So home?" Sirius nodded and squeezed his eyes shut. His worried expression returned once they were back in their flat.  
"You can tell me anything, Rem." The werewolf bit his lip.  
"I know. But can we not talk about it anymore, Sirius. Please?" Sirius sighed, but nodded. "I love you, Sirius." The taller boy leaned down and brought their lips together.  
"I love you, Remus." He pulled the werewolf to his chest. Remus breathed in the pureblood's comforting scent. "This isn't going to change anything, right?"  
"Course not." He bit his lip again and tried not to think about the next full moon.

* * *

Sirius had bought it on a small whim, and now it was looking like a bit of a bad idea. The huge motorbike took up way too much space. And Remus didn't seem to like it very much. "What in Merlin possessed you to buy this?" Sirius sheepishly looked at his feet.  
"I thought it was cool." Remus looked at the muggle contraption with disapproval. "It's really useful—it flies!" The werewolf brought a hand to his temple.  
"Not only is that not useful, but it's illegal." Sirius blushed.  
"But it's so coooool, Rem." The amber boy just shook his head. "I bet James will think so." Sirius considered flying it over to the Potters', but realized it would be much too conspicuous. He reddened even further as he shrunk his bike. "This doesn't make it any less useful." The pureblood stuffed the bike in his pocket and apparated to the Potters'. Remus smiled at the spot where his boyfriend just was. No matter what he said, the heir to the Black fortune was still just a kid.  
Sirius looked a bit down as he knocked on the Potters' door. Mrs. Potter welcomed him in with a huge grin and warm hug—which he did his best to return. "James is upstairs, dear."  
"Thanks, Mrs. Potter."  
"I still have that dish set to give you!" She yelled behind him. "Don't forget it!" Sirius reached the top of the stairs and pushed open the door he knew so well.  
"Hey mate." James hardly looked up. He appeared to be just as downcast as Sirius. "Why so glum, Prongs?"  
"Girl trouble." Sirius sat down next to James. "What brings you here alone, Pads?"  
"Werewolf trouble." He fiddled with the bike in his pocket. "So what happened with Lily?" James sighed and threw his hands up.  
"Well she was practicing her Patronus Charm for fun, because that's the way she is you know. It's a doe—so naturally as a girl she was calling it cute and fawning over it." Sirius looked at him in realization.  
"You didn't?"  
"I did! I thought she'd love it! But she was hardly even impressed. I transformed back and told her the whole story. All she did was lecture me about how dangerous it all was." Sirius ruffled James's hair.  
"Women don't understand things like that." James pushed Sirius's hand away.  
"I'm assuming you're here because Remus doesn't either." Sirius blushed.  
"Speaking of which, I have something to show you." He slid off the bed and dragged James with him. He dragged the bespectacled boy out of the room, down the stairs, and outside. The grey-eyed boy pulled the shrunken bike out of his pocket and restored it to its full size. "It flies!" James's eyes widened.  
"Isn't a muggle bicycle?" Sirius laughed and slid onto motorcycle.  
"Motorcycle, mate." He patted the spot behind him on the seat. "Give it a spin, yeah?" The motorcycle steadily rose into the air, and the boys promptly forgot their troubles.  
After Sirius had been gone for a few hours, Remus went over to the Potters' to make sure he wasn't still moping. Mrs. Potter gave him a grin and hug when she opened the door. "Hello Mrs. Potter. Uh, Sirius wouldn't happen to still be here, would he?"  
"Well they left a few hours ago. And James didn't mention when they planned on coming back." Remus thought of the flying motorbike and sighed. "Well now that you're here—and not about to disappear like that Sirius—I still have those dishes for you." The werewolf was about to follow Mrs. Potter into the house when they heard a loud impact. They turned to find James draped across the bike's handlebars laughing, and Sirius stumbling off. He unsteadily walked over to Remus before putting all his weight onto the smaller boy.  
"Remind me to never, ever let James 'give it a go' again." James looked over at the mention of his name and beamed.  
"How could you possibly say that—I thought I was doing fantastically." Mrs. Potter looked at her son and laughed. With this oppressive war, the boys probably needed something like that she thought.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. I've actually had this chapter done for a while. But there was something preventing me from uploading.  
Chapter four is also almost done though!


	4. Plans

Remus was sleeping quite peacefully and quite comfortably until that phoenix feather. The werewolf was curled around his boyfriend when something bright forced his eyes open. He grabbed the golden feather with some confusion. His confusion quickly left as a patronus appeared in the feather's place. The phoenix opened its beak, and Dumbledore's familiar voice sounded. "Remus, meet me at the Hog's Head as soon as possible." The phoenix closed its beak and disappeared. Remus, after hearing Dumbledore's urgent request, felt much more alert. He tried to slip out of the sleeping Sirius's grasp, but the boy tightened his hold in his sleep. The werewolf wasn't quite sure if he wanted to tell Sirius about going to see Dumbledore. He knew the pureblood would make a deal of it. But, as Remus tried to get up again, Sirius's grip continued to tighten. He sighed and shook the animagus's shoulder. "Sirius." He shook again. "Sirius."  
"S'matter?" He began to relax his hold on Remus.  
"Nothing, I just need to pop out for a moment." He wiggled free of Sirius's grip. "I'll be back in a second." Remus bent down to give Sirius a kiss; the pureblood took this chance to grab Remus again.  
"Go out where?"  
"Just some errands." Sirius frowned.  
"At this hour?" Remus brought a hand to the pureblood's cheek.  
"Yeah. It's nothing, love. I'll be back in no time." He pulled away from Sirius, quickly threw on clothes, and apparated to the Hog's Head. The pureblood—who was feeling very left out—stared at the spot his boyfriend just vacated. He sighed and lay back down. Sirius didn't understand why Remus was keeping something from him.  
The werewolf slipped into the Hog's Head feeling guilty. He hated keeping this from Sirius, but he knew Dumbledore had his reasons. Speaking of his old headmaster, Albus Dumbledore was waiting for Remus in the most secluded corner of the pub. "Hello Remus. I hope this meeting isn't interrupting anything." Remus shook his head. "Excellent. I have some news on the werewolf front." Remus subconsciously rubbed the scar on his neck. "It appears many of them have rallied around Greyback's strong leadership. And in turn, he has allied himself with Voldemort."  
"Of course that bastard would." Dumbledore smiled, but only for a moment.  
"Remus, what I'm about to ask you to do will be extremely dangerous, but also extremely important. With that in mind, are you still willing to help out any way you can?" Remus nodded solemnly. "I need you to infiltrate Greyback's ranks." His amber eyes widened even though he was expecting it.  
"I'll do my best." Dumbledore smiled a little sadly and reached into his pocket.  
"I knew I could count on you, Remus." He pulled out a candy. "Have a lemon drop." Remus popped it into his mouth. "And I have to ask you to continue to keep Sirius in the dark. I'm afraid he wouldn't like this too much." The werewolf nodded again. "Well now I must be off. I'll send you a message when we're ready to move in. Goodnight Remus." The Headmaster of Hogwarts stood up, exchanged a quick word with the bartender, and then left the bar. Remus, after a few minutes had past, also got up and left. Instead of apparating right back into Sirius's grasp (like he desperately wanted to), the young man walked through Hogsmeade's emptying streets. He was desperately glad to be useful for the Order, but he also desperately wanted to tell Sirius. The werewolf sighed; at least he'd have a few stories to share after they won this war.  
He apparated back to his shared flat. Sirius was just where he left him—he was lying awake waiting for him. Remus slid back under the covers, and wrapped the animagus's arms around himself. "I love you. I love you. I love you." He buried his face into Sirius's chest. "I love you. And I'm sorry. So sorry."  
"Shh." Sirius began to rub Remus's back. "Why are you sorry?" Remus shook his head.  
"I'm not allowed to tell you." His hands paused for a second.  
"Who's not allowing you?" Remus shook his head again. "Remus…" The werewolf nuzzled closer to his lover.  
"So sorry." Sirius sighed and kissed the top of Remus's head. This had to do with the Order, Sirius just knew it.

* * *

The Potters adored Lily very much and were quite glad that she had finally given their son a chance. But they weren't exactly ready for what James had to say. "Lily and I are planning on getting married." His mother sunk into a chair.  
"But you're both so young." She looked at her little boy, who was really quite a man by now. "And the war…." James smiled sadly.  
"That's why we're rushing this a bit." He placed a hand on his mother's shoulder—she looked like she was about to cry. "I meant rushed with the decision. We'd both like to wait until we're older than eighteen when we take the plunge." She gave her little boy a shaky smile.  
"You too will be very happy together." James beamed and bent down to give his mother a hug. "Oh she'll make such a lovely bride." Despite herself, Mrs. Potter began to cry. "We'll have to start making plans and invite people." James's father smiled at his wife from across the room. "Naturally Sirius will be the best man." The bespectacled young man wiped away his mother's tears.  
"Natually." She laughed and clutched her son closer. He had grown up so fast. "Now you'll get that daughter you always wanted." Now James was ready to have a family of his own.


	5. Leaving

Bellatrix smiled at the mark that marred her perfect Black skin. She also grinned at the ring on her finger that marked her as a new part of the Lestrange family. Bella was a pureblood through and through; she wasn't about to let anyone forget that. The black-haired woman fingered her wand and glanced at an old family portrait. Her grin grew as she remembered her plans for the evening—Regulus would be given the mark of the Lord and Sirius (along with the rest of that bloody Order) would be given Bella's special brand. She couldn't wait to make that blood traitor pay. The woman of the house flinched slightly as an arm snaked around her waist. Rodolphus paid the movement no mind and rested his chin on his wife's shoulder. Bella didn't ease into the grasp—while she had no problems with her perfectly pureblooded husband, she also didn't have anything she found terribly endearing about him. "Malfoy, Greyback, and Crabbe are on their way." She nodded.  
"What about the Dark Lord?" Rodolphus tightened his grip.  
"The Dark Lord is busy, Bella." She huffed.  
"I know that." He let go of his inattentive wife. The pureblood knew Bella would much rather be married to the Lord, and he couldn't blame her. "I'll go greet them." She slithered from his side. Rodolphus smiled. It didn't matter that she only loved the Lord and herself. It didn't matter because he was the one who got her.

* * *

Remus clung tighter to an extremely confused Sirius. "You're leaving for two weeks?" The werewolf nodded. "Where do you think you're going?"  
"I can't—" Sirius put his hand underneath Remus's chin and tilted it up.  
"And don't say that you can't tell me." He blushed. "Please Rem."  
"It's for the Order." Sirius's eyes bore into the werewolf. "Dumbledore would rather that I didn't tell you." The animagus's grip on Remus's chin tightened.  
"So he mentioned me specifically?" Remus nodded. "He told you not to tell the man whose _existence_ revolves around you?" Remus's blush darkened.  
"Ye-yes." Sirius dropped his hand at the stutter. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, Sirius." He hesitantly pressed their lips together. "I'll tell you when we end this war. Okay?"  
"I love you." Sirius gathered the amber boy in his arms. "But what if something happens?" Remus kissed him again—much more urgently this time.  
"I'll be fine. I promise." The pureblood buried his face into the crook of Remus's neck.  
"When are you leaving?"  
"Tomorrow." Sirius groaned and then kissed the werewolf's neck.  
"Then you'll be getting no sleep tonight." He carried his boyfriend to their meager mattress. "How do you expect me to function without you for weeks?" Remus curled his fingers in Sirius's short hair.  
"You managed pretty well for those twelve years before I met you." A low growl started in Sirius's throat. "In fact, I distinctly remember you wanting nothing—" The pureblood cut Remus off with a kiss.  
"Well I don't remember. I love you, Remus." The werewolf pulled off his boyfriend's shirt.  
"I love you, Sirius." They peeled off each other's remaining clothing. "I love you so much." Sirius kissed Remus's forehead. He then steadied himself over the werewolf.  
"I love you so much it hurts sometimes, Rem. So please come back in one piece." Sirius slowly entered his boyfriend, who clung to him desperately. Remus wanted to be even closer to Sirius; he didn't want to leave tomorrow; he _needed_ to be closer. The pair clung to each as they moved—Sirius was considering never letting the little werewolf go. "Please don't go Rem." The werewolf, who was already quite flushed and breathless, couldn't speak. "Please."  
"I have to." Sirius shook his head, but didn't say anything else on the matter. In fact, even after the pair finished, he didn't say anything else at all. They just clung to each other and desperately tried to elude sleep. But it came, as did the morning.  
Remus woke with a heavy heart. He shook Sirius shoulder and cooed in his ear. "Sirius, love, wake up." The animagus groaned and tightened his grip on Remus.  
"Don't go." The werewolf sighed.  
"We already talked about this. So please let go." Sirius did as his boyfriend asked, but not until he stole a kiss. "I'll be back in two weeks—I promise." Remus got dressed in the attire Dumbledore told him to wear—extremely ratty robes—and gave Sirius another kiss. "I love you."  
"I love you, too." The werewolf apparated to the Hog's Head; Sirius already began to worry.  
Remus found Dumbledore at the same table as the last time they met. "Good morning, Remus. I must say, you are excellently dressed." He joined his old headmaster at the table.  
"Good morning, Albus." The old wizard gave his old pupil a smile before getting to business.  
"We have found Greyback's current camp. It's a few miles outside of London. I can only take you part of the way to avoid suspicion." Remus nodded. "And I will need to take your wand until you return. They definitely will not trust you if you have the right to a wand." He nodded again, took out his wand, and gave it to Dumbledore. "Any questions before we head off?"  
"Can you please keep Sirius occupied?" Dumbledore smiled again.  
"That is something I can most certainly do." The pair left the bar. "Be sure to hold on tight." Remus gripped the older man's arm, and then they were off. The Order members found themselves in the thick of a forest. "Unfortunately this is as far as I can take you, Remus. Continue north for about a mile and you will run across the pack."  
"Thank you." Dumbledore smiled sadly at Remus.  
"I believe you are the one deserving the thanks." He shook the werewolf's hand. "Goodbye, Remus."  
"Goodbye, Albus." The older wizard disappeared on the spot. Remus began to walk in the northern direction; he kept his senses open for any sign of werewolves. He finally got one after walking for twenty minutes. The scent he caught was extremely familiar. Upon entering a clearing, Remus instantly recognized the scent and the person it belonged to—Greyback. The grizzled werewolf, after catching sight of Remus, smiled lecherously.  
"It sure has been a long time, Remus."  
"Hello Greyback." The older man walked closer to Remus and sized him up.  
"What brings you here?" Remus smirked—inside he was actually terrified.  
"I finally realized that you're right. I don't belong in that world. I belong in your pack." Greyback's twisted smile grew. He placed a hand on the scar that ran down Remus's face.  
"I'm glad you finally came around." He moved his hand to the scar on the boy's neck. "You've always been the prettiest of my little monsters."


	6. Fighting

Remus had been gone for three days and six hours. Sirius was beside himself with worry. It didn't help that he hadn't left the house for those four days—having an extremely large inheritance allowed him to do such things. The animagus sighed—he wouldn't be able to last two weeks of this. As if on cue, a familiar phoenix feather brightened his flat. Sirius grabbed it warily. (What if this meant something happened to Remus?) The feather went up in flames, and Sirius found himself holding a faded piece of parchment. 'Death Eaters surrounding the Ministry.' Sirius smiled grimly. He vanished the note and apparated to the Ministry.

* * *

Remus had absolutely no trouble joining the werewolf ranks. This was mainly because Greyback instantly took him under his wind. To the amber boy's displeasure, that meant he was constantly at Greyback's side. He knew the information he was gathering would be extremely helpful to the Order (Being attached to the older werewolf's hip meant Remus heard all the plans), but he would rather not have to see Greyback at all. Remus's dislike, and slight fear, of the werewolf leader still existed. His wolfish ears perked at the sound of footsteps. The amber boy took a deep breath and steadied a smirk on his face. He felt an arm slide around his waist—it was Greyback. "What are you doing, little Remus?" He suppressed a chill.  
"Nothing, Greyback." The grizzled man laughed; Remus paled slightly.  
"I call you Remus, so why won't you call me Fenir?"  
"I'm not the leader." Greyback smiled.  
"But you're the leader's favourite." Remus was quite sure he was going to be sick. He slowly started to pull away from the grizzled man. "Have somewhere to be?" His raspy voice was right in Remus's ear.  
"Not particularly." Greyback wrapped his other arm around Remus.  
"Then why are you trying to sneak away?" He grazed the boy's neck with his fangs. "Sick of me already?" Remus did his best to ease into the grasp. (Just pretend it's Sirius, he told himself.)  
"Of course not." Greyback smirked—Remus felt it against his neck.  
"Then relax and stay for a while." Greyback turned Remus around; the boy tried to avoid looking at the werewolf's face. "I'm all you have now, Remus."

* * *

Sirius held his wand at ready. He locked eyes with James and nodded. They had long ago spotted the Death Eaters, but they were waiting for Moody's signal. A growl began to rise in the animagus's throat as he caught sight of his cousin. As soon as he saw the red sparks, he made for Bellatrix. The Death Eater saw him coming and grinned wickedly—it was just the Order member she was hoping for. "Oh, it's ickle little Sirius." He gritted his teeth and shot a stunner her way. Bella dodged and cackled. "That the best you have? _Crucio!_" Sirius's shield spell was shattered by the curse. "Come on blood traitor; give me a real fight." The animagus tightened his grip on his wand and slashed it in Bella's direction. He smiled as she grimaced and gripped her arm.  
"Would you call that a real fight Bella?"  
"Hardly. I'm just getting started here." She grinned wildly again. "_Crucio!_" Sirius bit his lip as pain shot through him. After doing his best to shake the curse off, Sirius retaliated. The cousins continued to duel as the real battle went on around them. They each got small victories as allies on both sides fell. Sirius didn't even notice that James's nose started bleeding or that Lily's hair had caught fire at some point; he also didn't notice that Peter was nowhere to be found. Instead he was intent on taking Bella down, even if it meant getting a few more gashes. Both of the Blacks were standing with their wands at ready and their blood staining their robes. Sirius was quite ready to finish his cousin when a majority of the Death Eaters grabbed their forearms.  
"Fall back!" Bella smirked at her cousin before disappearing. The Order members that were still standing started to assess the damage; Sirius finally noticed that his friends suffered injuries. Lily began fussing over James, and Moody began looking at all the fallen bodies. Sirius just stood there. He began to feel light-headed, and he wanted Remus. The pureblood, after feeling very sure he wouldn't be of any help, apparated back to his apartment. For a moment Sirius thought Remus would be there, so his heart fell when he didn't see the werewolf. He sat on their meager mattress and tended to his wounds. Sirius hoped his lover was faring much better.

* * *

"Everyone has their position. Meet back here in three weeks." Most of the werewolves filed out of the room. Remus would have liked to have done the same, but Greyback held him back. "There's something special for you to do, Remus." He shuddered. "You need to fight. You need to show them why you're the favourite; you need to show them your wolf." Greyback tightened his grip on Remus's arm. "There's a field just beyond the hill—go there in a few hours. If you do well, I'll see you in three weeks." He released Remus and left. After the younger werewolf was sure Greyback wasn't coming back, he ran. He ran until he was sure he was the only werewolf in the area. Remus concentrated on the Hog's Head and apparated. When he arrived, his body was dead weight—it took everything he had to apparate without a wand. He stumbled into the bar.  
"I need to speak to Dumbledore." He collapsed into a chair.  
"Which Dumbledore?" The bartender recognized the battered boy.  
"Albus." Remus saw something silver erupt from the bartender's wand before he passed out.  
Hardly twenty minutes had passed when the impressive figure of Albus Dumbledore walked through the door. He rushed to Remus's side and pointed his wand at the boy's chest. "_Ennervate!_" The werewolf's eyes slowly opened. "I don't mean to rush you Remus, but time is of the essence. What did you find out?"  
"Greyback's placing werewolves outside the houses of Justin Bones, Ann Crystal, Elliot Evvert, and Millicent Bagnold. He's also having some patrol through Wizarding communities; he told them that their main targets are children." Albus shook his head in disgust.  
"Thank you, Remus. We'll be sure to relocate them."  
"I'm to have this mission again, aren't I Albus?" The headmaster nodded solemnly. "Then can I ask for a hand? I need to prove my worth, and I'd rather not try apparating without a wand again."

"Of course, Remus. Will the same spot be good?" The werewolf nodded. "Excellent. If you could please grab my arm." The pair ended up in the same stretch of forest as last time. "Good luck. I shall see you tomorrow." Dumbledore disappeared, and Remus ran to the field. The sun was just starting to set when he found the rest of the pack. They all grinned at him predatorily.  
"Are you ready little Remus?" The amber boy smiled a little uncertainly.  
"Of course." Everyone's skin began to ripple—it was time. Everyone's bones broke and reformed. It wasn't long before they were all wolves. It also wasn't long before one pounced on Remus. The pair rolled around clawing and biting. The other members of the pack circled around them and growled. Remus easily overcame his opponent—he wasn't much compared to a stag. Other members of the pack began to take a turn at Remus; he continued winning. The pack got a few good victories against Remus, but the newcomer eventually came out on top. Remus was a true part of the pact; he was a true werewolf.


	7. Unions and Reunions

Albus Dumbledore had found his little werewolf lying in the patch of forest he left him in. Remus was all cut up and bruised, but still very much alive. The headmaster did his best to fix the boy's wounds and revive him. "Are you alright, Remus?" He nodded slowly. "Is there anything you need?"  
"Sirius." Dumbledore smiled and gently grabbed Remus's arm. He apparated them to the lovers' small apartment.  
"Sirius, I have something for you." Albus winked, slipped Remus his wand, and left.  
"Dumbledore?" Sirius walked into the main room of the flat looking rather confused. His confusion grew once he saw that Remus was there and Dumbledore wasn't.  
"Forgotten my name already, have you?" Sirius rushed to his lover's side and embraced him.  
"Of course not—I'll remember Remus until I die." He quickly crashed their lips together. "I missed you way too much, Rem."  
"I missed you too, Sirius." The animagus, after taking note of the increase in grey hairs, buried his face in Remus's hair. After a moment his nose wrinkled in slight disgust—being a dog-animagus had done a lot to his sense of smell.  
"Something smells off." Remus's eyes widened. He pushed Sirius away and hurried to their washroom.  
"That's probably because I haven't been properly clean in weeks." Remus knew that wasn't it. He knew Sirius had smelled Greyback on him. The werewolf felt sick. "I'll be right out, love." Sirius watched his boyfriend shut himself in the bathroom with confusion. He hadn't meant to offend him.  
In the shower Remus did his best to scrape Greyback off of himself. He did his best to remove the smell of the other werewolves, the blood, and the forest. He did his best to remove the secret from his skin. Remus felt disgusting; there was no way he'd let Sirius touch him when he was like this. The werewolf finally felt satisfied when his skin was raw and red. He shut off the water and found Padfoot waiting for him outside the door. Remus smiled and scratched the top of the dog's head. "Hello Padfoot." The dog barked happily. "Any chance I can see Sirius again?" Padfoot barked again before morphing back into Sirius. The pureblood wrapped his arms around the freshly cleaned Remus.  
"I love you, Remus." The werewolf clung desperately to his lover.  
"I love you, Sirius." Remus caught sight of a new mark on Sirius's arm—he traced it lightly. "What's this?"  
"A gift from Bellatrix." Sirius found fresh cuts on Remus's back. "What are these?"  
"Initiation." Sirius traced them; Remus winced slightly. "How was the flat while I was gone?"  
"Boring." Sirius brought his lips to scar that ran down Remus's face. "Please tell me you're not leaving again."  
"I have to in three weeks." Sirius sighed.  
"Then we'll just have to make the most of it." He slammed their lips together and lifted Remus up. The pureblood pressed the werewolf against the wall; he groaned in pain.  
"Can we do this somewhere else Sirius? Those injuries are rather new." Sirius quickly let go of Remus.  
"I'm so sorry, Rem." The amber boy smiled and gave Sirius a quick kiss.  
"It's alright love." He grabbed the pureblood's hand and led him to their mattress. He pushed Sirius down and straddled his hips. "I love you." He tangled his fingers in Sirius's shoulder-length hair. "I love you." Sirius placed his hands on Remus's hips.  
"I love you, too." He steadied Remus over himself. "I love you." He pulled the werewolf down onto him. Remus groaned and tightened his grip on Sirius's hair. "So don't leave me again."  
"Not now." Remus didn't want to think about going back just yet. He clung even tighter to Sirius as if to say 'I'm here now'. The lovers were moving closer and going deeper—two weeks was much too long.  
"Stay with me forever." Remus finished with Sirius's voice lingering in his ear. "We can get married and move to the country and leave this war behind." The werewolf sighed and moved his hands to Sirius's cheeks.  
"I thought you wanted to join the Order. I thought you wanted to end this." Sirius sat up and pulled Remus to his chest.  
"I do. But I also want you to stay in one piece." He traced the new cuts on the werewolf's back. "And that doesn't look likely at the moment." Remus reddened.  
"I'm fine, Sirius. We'll both make it out of this fine." He leaned up and brushed their lips together. "Then we can get married and move into the county. Okay?" The pureblood sighed and buried his head into Remus's chest. "Let's not talk about this anymore today. Please?"  
"Okay." The lovers fell asleep like that—curled around one another.

* * *

James and Lily knocked at the familiar door. Sirius and Remus greeted them with smiles and hugs. "You guys haven't heard anything from Peter lately, have you?" They shook their head. "Oh. Well I guess we'll just have to tell him later." At this Lily lifted her hand; she had a sparkling band on her finger. "We're getting married in a few months." Sirius gave Remus a look, but didn't say anything.  
"Only if everything goes as planned of course." James frowned for a moment. He knew that 'goes as planned' meant 'if we don't die before then'. The bespectacled man squeezed his fiancé's hand.  
"Speaking of which, how would you like to be a best man?" Sirius beamed.  
"I'd like nothing better." The four friends continued to talk about their bright future and continued to ignore the current war. Every so often one of them wondered where the last Marauder was—where was Peter?  
Peter Pettigrew was currently thinking. And it was an extremely serious matter he was pondering. Just recently the rat-animagus was approached by the other side with offers of power and protection—it was rather tempting. His mind wandered to the Marauders; he thought about Lily and James's new, steady relationship; Sirius and Remus's parasitic one. He had his decision. Peter knew there was no turning back now—this was it.


	8. Short Glimpse of the Dark Side

Something had gone wrong. None of the intended targets were home, and Greyback wasn't sure how that had happened. He also wasn't sure why members of his pack ran into the Order of the Phoenix. Greyback's plan didn't work out and now the Dark Lord was less than happy with him. Being on the Dark Lord's bad side wasn't exactly where Greyback wanted to be. He sighed and leaned back in his chewed up chair. At least his pretty little Remus would be back in two weeks. He could take all his stress out on the young werewolf. Greyback smiled lecherously; that would make him feel_ much better _about his current situation.  
He unfolded a map and began planning for the next moon. Nothing would go wrong this time.

* * *

Bellatrix Lestrange was furious. Her last few missions had not gone to plan and, because of this, she had fallen out of the Lord's favour. When she wasn't in his favour, she didn't know what to do with herself. Bella lived only to serve the Dark Lord; she lived only to be near him. Rudolph hadn't even tried to approach her. He just hoped they'd have a mission for her soon.  
The loyal Death Eater repeatedly ran her hand through her hair as she thought about her latest missions. She knew what went wrong with each of them. It was the Order—it was ickle little Sirius. Bella grinned manically as she thought about all the ways she'd like to get rid of him. She'd kill him one day—she'd kill him, she promised herself.

* * *

Severus Snape was in the middle of learning the extremely difficult art of occlumency. He was doing so because he was a less-than-loyal Death Eater. Now that wasn't because he didn't believe in the Dark Lord's goal—because he most certainly did. Nor was it because he was getting cold feet—he didn't regret a single deed he did for the Death Eaters. It was just that Severus Snape was still hopelessly in love with Lily Evans. And it didn't help that he also owed James Potter his life. So recently Severus hadn't been able to give it his all—in fact he had consciously been helping Lily out. The half-blood sighed and gave up for the day. If he wanted to save his own neck, he'd have to master it soon. Severus slumped into a chair and let his mind wander.  
Like always, flaming red hair invaded his thoughts. Emerald eyes and a sweet smile joined it; Severus sighed again. He knew he blew it with her a long time ago, but that didn't change how he felt at all. Lily Evans was the first person to properly smile at him, and Severus wanted her to be the last as well. He ran his hand through his greasy hair and felt like crying. She was all he could think about. Her smiles; her wand-work; her tendency to act rashly. Because of this, Severus had recently turned on his own comrades to save her. She had boldly gone headfirst into fights, and she had almost died because of it. And well, Severus's love for Lily trumped his loyalty to the Dark Lord. Severus stood back up and tried again. He _needed _to master occlumency. He needed to protect Lily.

* * *

Regulus was rethinking a few things. The Dark Side wasn't exactly what he thought it would be. Bella's endless praise of the Dark Lord didn't measure up with what Regulus saw. He was starting to think that his brother had the right idea and was on the right side of this war. The pureblood mused up his hair and looked at his arm. His Dark Mark stood out against his pale skin. Was this the right choice? Regulus wasn't sure anymore.


	9. Wedding

Sirius's best friend was getting married, and he was honestly quite happy for him. It was just that there were many other unhappy things plaguing the animagus's mind. His grey eyes snagged on Remus; he frowned. The war and the werewolf were at the heart of Sirius's current unhappiness. Lately Remus had been keeping things from him, and he was starting to get a bit suspicious. Remus had continued to go on his secret Order business, and Sirius was fine with that—really he was, it's not like he missed him or anything. And he was still fine with it when he realized it was werewolf business—honestly, it's not like they were taking advantage of Remus's unfortunate circumstances or anything. Sirius began to become less-than-fine when Remus starting coming home with marks that were most definitely not made by a wolf's mouth. He was angry when Remus refused to talk about it. Order business or not, Sirius had a right to know what was going on—didn't he? He was _just_ Remus's very long-term boyfriend. Sirius downed a glass of firewhiskey and went to find James.  
From across the aisle, Remus saw Sirius storm off. The werewolf was filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt. He knew Sirius was angry with him, and he knew he could fix that with a short conversation. The werewolf sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He thought about their most recent fight—he winced.  
Remus had returned from another two weeks with the werewolf pack, and he returned with a few marks from Greyback. He tried to dart to the washroom, but Sirius cut him off. The animagus slid an arm around Remus's waist. The werewolf flinched briefly—Sirius noticed. "What's wrong?" Remus shook his head as if to say 'nothing'. The pureblood, remembering the last time Remus came home, brushed amber hair away from Remus's neck. He found the usual claw-marks, but he also found other marks that he personally preferred to leave on the werewolf. Remus reddened and batted Sirius's hand away. "So where did you get those?"  
"The-they're nothing."  
"Goddamn it, Remus! Am I allowed to know about anything that goes on in your life anymore?" The werewolf averted his eyes. "Who gave you these?"  
"Please Sirius. It's nothing." The animagus gripped Remus's chin rather forcibly.  
"Did you get these on a mission for Dumbledore?" Remus didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. "Is this the kind of things he has you doing now?" The werewolf shut his eyes.  
"It's not like that Sirius, really." The animgas growled, dropped his hand, and walked away.  
"If this is how we're fighting, then I'm not sure I'm on the right side." Remus heard the door slam and heard the distant sound of Sirius apparating. He covered his face with his hands. He hadn't meant for this to happen.  
The werewolf winced again. Since that night Sirius hadn't brought the marks up, but he also hadn't held Remus properly. Remus downed a glass of firewhiskey and went to find Lily.  
Sirius thought about the werewolf. He felt a bit guilty. Deep down Sirius knew he couldn't blame Remus—for siding for the werewolves at least. He knew what Voldemort was promising the werewolves, and he knew Remus probably wanted it all. And Sirius couldn't blame him for that; he couldn't blame him for wanting to end the prejudice. He loved Remus—he couldn't really blame him for anything.  
Remus saw the animagus again. He knew Sirius had a point that night, and he knew Sirius had a right to be angry with him. Remus couldn't blame the pureblood for hating him or for hating this side. He couldn't hate Sirius for wanting nothing more with the Order. He loved Sirius—he couldn't really blame him for anything.  
The werewolf walked up to Sirius and laced their fingers together. He gave the pureblood a small smile before turning his attention to the soon-to-be-newlyweds. Lily looked stunning, and James couldn't contain his grin—they certainty did look perfect together. Sirius, after looking at his best friend, squeezed Remus's hand; he could pretend like they were all still in Hogwarts for today, like none of this unfortunate suspicion had taken hold of their group. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Peter run up to them. "So James, as your best man I naturally prepared a speech. I plan on telling about that time when you followed Lily around until she cursed your skin green for a week." James blushed; Lily laughed.  
"Please don't mate." Sirius gave a bark-like laugh and shook his head. "Just wait until I'm your best man—I've got plenty of embarrassing stories too. Speaking of which, when do you two plan on finally tying the knot?" Sirius reddened. He hadn't exactly told anyone about the problems him and Remus were going through.  
"Oh sometime soon. But let's finish this wedding first, yeah?" Sirius released Remus's hand, but only so he could wrap his arm around the werewolf's waist. The five friends continued to recall memories before the ceremony officially started. The boys walked to the altar while Lily went to meet her parents. From the groom's side, Sirius spotted Lily's very out of place sister—he smiled. It quickly faded though as the bride began to walk down the aisle. Lily was glowing as she moved towards James; he was grinning. Their hands joined immediately, and the priest began to speak. In what felt like a few seconds later, James and Lily were married. The newlyweds kissed. As they walked away from their guests, Remus slid his hand into Sirius's. The animagus beamed and faced the werewolf.  
"So did you mean what you said earlier? Is that gonna be us soon?" Remus squeezed his lover's hand.  
"Yeah." They watched Lily and James began to dance. "We've been right idiots, haven't we?" Sirius nodded and stole a kiss. From the crowd, the pair heard a disgusted squeal. Lily's sister was looking at them with a puckered face.  
"As if being a _freak_ wasn't enough." Sirius gave a bark-like laugh and kissed Remus again. The pureblood hoped this meant things were returning to normal. He hoped this meant the war would finally be ending.


	10. Pillow Talk

Remus snuggled closer to Sirius and smiled. Since the wedding, suspicion had lessened between the pair. Sirius threaded his fingers through Remus's hair. "I think your hair's longer than mine now." The werewolf made a face.  
"We can't have that; you look much better with longer hair than I do." The pureblood laughed, released Remus's hair, and wrapped his arms around Remus's waist.  
"Can't be true. You're the better looking one here." The werewolf laughed and pushed himself onto his elbows. "Will you be leaving again?" Remus sighed and nodded.  
"Not for another week though." Sirius frowned for a moment. "I'm sorry Padfoot. All of this will be over soon, I promise." He brushed their lips together. "We'll finish the war and then never leave this room ever again." The animagus grinned.  
"I will most definitely hold you to that." Sirius crashed their lips together again and held his boyfriend tighter. "I love you, Moony. Let's get married."  
"Yeah Sirius. Let's."

* * *

Severus had stumbled upon the information entirely by accident. He had merely been finishing a mission at the Hog's Head when he heard the familiar voice. The Death Eater stealthily pressed his ear up to the door and listened to his old headmaster. The conversation didn't seem like anything of consequence at first—Severus had half a mind to walk away—but then the tone changed. Dumbledore's companion began to speak in a deeper voice and of something completely different than before. Severus's eyes widened as he listened. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies …" The pale male gasped and instantly regretted it. He dashed away as he heard footsteps in the room. Severus missed the end of the prophecy, but that didn't matter; he had heard the most important part.  
The loyal Death Eater had a smirk on his face when he reported back to the Dark Lord. Voldemort was equally as pleased. "Good work, Snape." Bellatrix glared at him, but Severus didn't mind. They'd finally finish this pathetic war and everyone would know who was the most loyal. No one would get the best of Severus again—he'd make sure of it.

* * *

James looked at his wife in disbelief. "You're sure?" Lily nodded. "Like absolutely, a thousand percent sure?" She nodded again. James beamed and embraced his wife. "We're going to be parents!" Lily laughed and clutched her husband. "Parents, Lil. Oh Merlin." James kissed the top of his wife's head. "Being with you has made me the happiest man. I love you, Lily." She titled her head back and brushed their lips together.  
"And I love you, James."

* * *

Sirius watched his sleeping lover in the dark. He traced some of Remus's more recent scars and thought. Things were most certainly better between the pair, but suspicion had yet to disappear. Each still suspected the other—that hardly mattered with the war though, they both loved each other too much to say anything. Remus shuddered in his sleep; Sirius stopped tracing for a moment. The animagus stared at the werewolf's back without really seeing it. He didn't really care who won the war anymore, just as long as it was finally over. Sirius moved closer to Remus and began to gnaw on his ear. "Remmmmus." The werewolf groaned. "Wake up." Remus rolled over, but kept his eyes closed.  
"S'matter?" Sirius hooked a leg around one of Remus's and tangled his fingers in that amber hair.  
"I just wanted some pillow talk." The werewolf opened one eye.  
"You want what?"  
"To talk. We haven't done it properly in a while, so I thought we could give it a go." By now both of Remus's eyes were open, and he was clutching Sirius's hips. "No yelling and no war." He smiled.  
"Sounds brilliant, love." They rested their forehands together.  
"Let's go on a date when you get back." Remus raised an eyebrow. "Well you know we've never been on a real date—I've never taken you out anywhere." Remus reddened.  
"You don't need to do that."  
"Course I do. How else am I supposed to show you off?" His blush darkened. Sirius brought their lips together. "Did I ever tell you that your blush was one of the first things I fell in love with?" Remus was now the scarlet colour of his old Gryffindor hangings. "Or maybe it was your shy smile." Sirius tightened his grip on Remus's hair; he kissed the werewolf again. "Maybe it was your amber eyes." Another kiss. "Your immense courage." Remus covered Sirius's mouth before he could continue.  
"Well do you want to know what I first fell in love with, Mr. Black?" The pureblood nodded. "Your obnoxiously overconfident attitude." Sirius frowned a bit.  
"Why that doesn't sound flattering at all." Remus smirked and kissed his boyfriend.  
"Really? Because I thought that made you quite sexy."  
"You sly wolf." Sirius shifted so that he was lying on top of Remus. "I'll have to get you back for that." They crashed their lips together; all Sirius could think about was how he'd never really get Remus back. All he could think about was how perfect everything in this moment was.


	11. Pregnant Worries

James had thought it was a bit odd that Dumbledore said he shouldn't go on missions for a while. He also thought it was weird that he told them to move. Dumbledore had said he didn't want their future child growing up without both of its parents, but James wasn't sure that was really the case. Truthfully the marauder was a bit restless; he should be out there fighting with his friends. Sirius also wasn't too happy with the arrangement. It's not like he could get Remus pregnant and out of the war. The animagus sighed as he sat in their flat alone. It had been months since the wedding and it didn't seem like the war was settling down at all. Much like James, Sirius was being to get restless—but in a much different way. He was tired of all the useless fighting; he was tired of the Order obtaining no results. Sirius took a swig of firewhiskey and hoped the rest of the marauders were doing alright.

* * *

Dumbledore rested his chin on his hands. The note sitting on his desk worried him greatly. It appeared the war was taking a turn for the worse. He sighed and looked at the clock in the corner of the room. According to it, he had half an hour before he had to meet with a former student. Albus picked up his wand and left his office. He was not looking forward to this meeting.

Severus Snape was on the edge. He didn't think the Lord would target them. Hell he didn't even know she was pregnant. He gripped his hair. What if she didn't have the baby in July; would the Lord still target her? Oh Merlin, Lily. Severus bit his lip and let go of his hair. He would make sure Lily was okay. "Best friends forever, right Lils?" But there was no redhead to answer him this time. The Death Eater sighed and apparated out of his childhood home on Spinner's End.

* * *

Lily rested her hands on her enlarged stomach. Dumbledore had just told them that they would need to move again. But that was all he said. He gave no reason why, and he gave the couple no other reason to worry. The redhead couldn't take the stress, nor could she actually move much at the moment—the baby was due any day now. Poor James was running around and shrinking everything down. He was also running in and checking her breathing every so often. Lily began to rub circles on her stomach. Albus's worrying had to mean something big was happening, right? It had to mean the war would be over soon, right? Lily's hands paused. What was so doing bringing a child into this war in the first place? She began to panic. What if something happened to the baby?—or to James?—or to her? She began to cry. James was at her side in an instant. He caressed her cheeks and brushed away her tears. "Shhh love, everything's alright." Lily shook her head.  
"We're in the middle of a bloody war. Of course everything isn't alright." James stroked his wife's hair. "Hundreds of people are dying every day—_our friends are dying every day_—and I'm about to bring someone into that." She couldn't stop crying. "What if we die? Oh Merlin, what if the baby dies?"  
"Shhh." James kissed his wife's forehead. "That'll never happen Lily, I promise. I exist only for you and the baby." That made her cry harder.  
"Don't say that! You can't die either!" She grabbed his shirt. "Please don't leave me, James."  
"I'm so sorry Lils." He wrapped his arms around her. "I won't leave you; I never will."

* * *

Remus leaned up against Sirius. The animagus has a half-hearted pout on his face. "Even if we _were_ the spies, it's not like we'd kill the baby." The werewolf put a hand over his lover's mouth.  
"Don't worry love. We'll see the baby; just not until Dumbledore's sure everything's safe." Sirius gently pushed Remus's hand away and nuzzled the werewolf's neck.  
"But I'm his godfather." Remus laced his fingers in Sirius's hair. "And James is my best friend. I should be there."  
"And you will be—just not right away." Sirius groaned. "It's serious, Sirius. I hear Dumbledore's considering the Fidelius Charm." The pureblood's eyes widened for a moment.  
"They're being targeted, aren't they?" Remus nodded. "Now would be the perfect time to escape Remus." He turned the werewolf around so they were facing each other. "We can leave the war and all the suspicion behind." He brushed their lips together lightly. "I can finally free you from that monster." Remus shuddered slightly.  
"You're like a siren. You say the most alluring things, but in the end misfortune awaits." Sirius sighed. He pressed their foreheads together.  
"Yeah, but isn't it a lovely dream?"


	12. Secret Keeper

"Hey Harry." Sirius cradled the baby in his arms. "Do you like dogs?" Little Harry didn't do anything—mainly because he had no idea what was going on. Even though Lily said he shouldn't, and Harry didn't seem excited by the word 'dogs', Sirius handed the baby to Remus and changed. Padfoot wagged his tail and barked. Harry laughed happily; Remus smiled. The large, black dog weaved between the werewolf's legs. James and Lily watched their friends and their new son.  
"Padfoot still needs some training, Moony." The dog barked again before changing back.  
"Hey Prongs, I am perfectly trained." He lightly stroked the baby's head. Lily smiled and took her baby from Remus. The smile on James's face faded slightly.  
"Hey Sirius, I have a serious question." In light of the times, Sirius didn't make a joke on his name. "Dumbledore's making us move again." Lily's eyes widened slightly—she didn't think they'd actually be having _this _conversation. "He also wants us to use the Fidelius Charm this time." Sirius's breath caught in his throat. "And I want you to be our Secret Keeper." Sirius sat down in a nearby chair.  
"Are you sure James?" He looked at the baby in Lily's arms. "Do you really trust me with all of your lives?"  
"I trust you with everything I have, Sirius." James put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. Sirius gave a shaky smile. "War or not, you're still my best mate."  
"And you're mine. I promise I'll keep little Harry safe." Lily smiled and clutched her son closer. Remus also smiled at his lover, but there was worry in the back of his mind. The pair left shortly after.  
Sirius stretched out across their shared mattress and pulled Remus on top of himself. "So, what do you think?" The werewolf threaded his fingers in Sirius's hair.  
"I think it's very trusting of James." The pureblood's eyes flared; he gripped Remus's hips with a bit of force.  
"Well I would think he'd trust his best friend."  
"Shh, I know love. I didn't mean it like that." The half-blood stroked Sirius's cheek. "I just meant Dumbledore probably volunteered himself for the job, but James chose you." Sirius's grip barely slackened. "I'm glad he chose you." He brushed their lips together. The pureblood let released his grip.  
"I'm sorry, Remus." He put his face into the crook of Remus's neck. "I didn't mean to get mad."  
"It's fine." The werewolf kissed the top of his lover's head.

* * *

Peter wrung his hands nervously. He had thought playing for both sides would be easy. He thought he'd survive no matter who won. The animagus didn't think he'd have to target his best friend though. Why was the location of James's son so important anyway; it's not like the baby could have done anything to harm the Dark Lord. The blonde man hung his head. Peter was too busy with his current line of thinking so he didn't hear the tapping at his window right away. When he finally looked up and let the owl in, Peter found himself with a letter from Sirius. He swallowed—with trouble—as he read it. Now it seemed like he actually had to make a decision. Peter hastily scribbled a reply and sighed. For the first time in his life everything came down to him.

* * *

Sirius's eyes continuously darted around the small muggle park. He anxiously ran his fingers through his hair. The animagus had never needed to talk to Peter more in his life. The thought 'he isn't going to come' ran through Sirius's mind quite a lot. He _needed_ Peter to come. After leaving the Potters' house the other day and after watching Remus sleep, Sirius realized that he couldn't be the secret keeper. He couldn't put Remus through that kind of danger. The pureblood knew he was being selfish; he knew he was being a bit cowardly. But he didn't give a damn at the present moment. All he could currently think about was the safely sleeping werewolf he left at home. Sirius knew Remus would be unhappy with his choice, but he also didn't care about that. The animagus's ears perked up as he caught a familiar scent; in the corner of his eye he saw Peter. He quickly got up from the bench and moved to Peter's side. "Thanks for meeting me, Pete." The blonde man swallowed with some difficulty.

"No problem, Sirius. I want to be of help any way I can." Sirius smiled.  
"I knew I could count on you. You're a real friend." The rat animagus winced. "Now we just need to talk to James about this." Peter nodded. "And I would…uh..I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell Remus about this." Peter smiled to himself just a bit—so only Sirius and himself knew about this switch. It looked like he would be able to pull this off after all.


	13. The Last Time

Something felt wrong to Remus. He had woken up to find Sirius slipping into the door with a slightly guilty look on his face. The animagus heartedly denied going anywhere when the werewolf asked him about it. "Just popped out for a bit of air; didn't go farther than the front steps, love." Sirius bent down and gave Remus a kiss that he returned a bit warily.  
"Are you sure everything's alright?" The pureblood nodded and joined his lover on their bed.  
"Perfectly sure." He laced their fingers together. "James wants me to go away for a bit." Remus, who had just looked away from Sirius for a second, snapped his head back in surprise.  
"Why?" The werewolf's eyes were filled with fear. Sirius squeezed his hand reassuringly.  
"It's just a precaution, Rem. It's just some added security." He kissed the top of the werewolf's head. "I'll be fine." Remus didn't think he would be—in fact he was sure this would be the end of Sirius Black.  
"But that's an awful idea! They already know how close you are to James—they'll know as soon as he disappears and you leave." Remus's eyes widened as he thought of something else. "What if you die? Oh Merlin, they'll kill you and I wouldn't even know." He let go of Sirius hand and instead buried himself in the pureblood's chest. "Don't leave me." Sirius gently stroked his lover's head.  
"Now you know how I feel every month. Every month I never know if you'll be found out—if you'll be killed. Every month I hate this war more and more." Remus clutched at Sirius's shirt.  
"I suppose you have a point. But for some reason I feel like this is much more dangerous. I feel like we won't make it unscathed from this." Sirius smiled a bit bitterly; he ran a finger down one of Remus's more recent scars.  
"I wouldn't call this unscathed, Rem." He gently pulled the werewolf away from his chest. "Hopefully it won't be for too long."  
"But I'm leaving again in a few days." Remus tightened his grip. "Oh Merlin, we're never going to see each other again!" He moved his hands to the back of Sirius's hand; he crushed their lips together. "Please don't go Sirius." He gripped some ebony locks. "Let's both stay here this time."  
"Remus we can't. You're the one who keeps saying we have to do our part to end this." Sirius moved his face closer to Remus's. They're lips were brushing; it was as if they were constantly kissing, but it was also as if they weren't kissing at all. "I love you. Everything will be alright."  
"You're an awful liar, Sirius Black. But I love you too."

* * *

James had thought Sirius's idea sounded pretty good at the time. But the more he thought about it, the more danger it seemed to put his best friends in. Thinking back on the original idea also seemed to put Sirius in too much danger. James ruffled his hair in frustration—no matter what he did he was putting his friends in danger. Dumbledore did suggest himself for secret keeper, but James didn't want to put him in danger either. This war was threatening to ruin his life and his new family. He sighed, stood up, and walked to Harry's cradle. James gently picked up his son and held him close. "I want to end this war for you. I want you to live in peace, Harry." The bespectacled man felt a hand on his shoulder.  
"He will James; we'll make sure of it." She wrapped her arm around his waist.  
"I hope so, Lily." James kissed the top of Harry's head and then kissed his wife. "I love you, Lily. I love you and Harry more than anything." She smiled.  
"And I love you James Potter—you and Harry more than anything."

* * *

Sirius sat with his head in his hands. It had been four days since Remus had left for his mission and three since he had left for this cabin. He heard nothing from James, Peter, or even Dumbledore since he got here—it was awful. Sirius had no idea how the Order was faring, and he also had no idea if Peter was safe. The pureblood wasn't allowed to send any messages at all himself (for security purposes and all that). Every night he had horrible dreams of James, Lily, and Harry blowing up; of Peter being tortured to death; of Remus being savagely killed. Sirius couldn't take it. He should have listened to Remus; he should have remained secret keeper himself. Oh Merlin, Peter won't be able to do it. Peter's a pushover and a coward; he'll crack as soon as the wands come out. Sirius's blood froze as he thought about it. Peter was the biggest coward he had ever met in his life—why would he agree to Sirius's plan? The pureblood rushed off the chair and out of the cabin. Something was completely wrong and suspicious, and Sirius was going to find out what it was. Oh Merlin, he hoped his hunch was wrong. The pureblood rushed to Peter's home.


	14. The End of the Marauders

Peter was not at home. Sirius panicked. He searched the tiny apartment at least ten times. "Peter! Peter!" Nothing looked out of order, everything looked fine, no sign of a struggle—that only worried him more. "Goddamn it, Peter!" Sirius's heart dropped as he ran out of the flat. The pureblood took out his shrunken motorbike; he couldn't think straight enough to apparate. He flew to the general location of James's new place—if everything was all right he shouldn't be able to even find it. But Sirius did find it. He found rubble and Hagrid. A sob was stuck in his throat as he landed the bike. The half-giant looked at him with pity; he held Harry in his arms. "Where are James and Lily?" Sirius's voice cracked. Hagrid's eyes were full of tears.  
"He killed 'em. I'm sorry, Sirius." Tears began to cloud Sirius's eyes as well.  
"Give Harry to me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him. And I just—" Sirius began to choke on his held-in sob. "—I just need to hold a Potter right now." Hagrid put a hand on Sirius's shoulder; the pureblood's knees buckled under the weight.  
"I'm afraid I can't give 'im to you. Dumbledore wants 'im to go ter his aunt's and uncle's." Sirius hung his head. "I wish I could, Sirius." The pureblood gave the half-giant a shaky smile.  
"I understand Hagrid. You shouldn't keep Dumbledore waiting." His grey eyes caught on his motionless motorbike. "Why don't you take my bike; I won't need it anymore." Hagrid smiled and thumped Sirius's on the back again.  
"Thanks Sirius. That'll help a lot." Sirius nodded slowly; he waved halfheartedly as Hagrid climbed on the bike and flew away with Harry. Now Remus was the only thing the pureblood had left, and he had a feeling that wouldn't last for very long. Sirius tightened his grip on his wand before running from the rubble. Peter had to be close. He had to be near the dead friends he betrayed.  
"Peter! Peter-fucking-Pettigrew!" Sirius ran down the street. He pushed past scared muggle onlookers. "Where are you, Peter?" Sirius ran for ages. He ended up being quite far from the Potters' destroyed home when he smelled a rat. But Sirius still couldn't find him at first. It wasn't until he turned completely around that he found Peter. The blonde man was running towards him and sobbing.  
"Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?" Peter reached for his wand; Sirius saw him smirk for a moment. The pureblood saw what looked like a finger drop to the pavement before the explosion. Sirius was thrown to the ground and blinded by a light. He heard people screaming. The whole explosion only lasted a minute, but Sirius felt like years had passed on that pavement. When he finally stood back up, he was horrified. The explosion had created a giant crater in the street and dead muggles were strewn across the sidewalk. But then Sirius noticed Peter was nowhere to be seen. He laughed. Sirius stood amongst the wreckage and laughed. So Peter had brains after all; so Peter had a backbone after all. Sirius couldn't stop laughing. How unsuspecting they had been of Peter. All that fighting and loss of trust was just a waste of time. Sirius couldn't stop laughing. At least it wasn't Remus. He began to laugh harder. At least it wasn't Remus? It was completely ridiculous to suspect him in the first place. But that's what Peter wanted. Peter had everything planned out perfectly; Peter was an evil genius. The Ministry of Magic appeared and quickly surrounded him. Sirius just stood there and kept laughing. He let them restrain him and drag him away. He laughed the whole way to Azkaban.

* * *

As soon as Remus woke up he knew something was wrong. He dragged his aching body to the usual meeting place, but Dumbledore wasn't there. Remus's ears twitched slightly as he took note of cheers. The werewolf followed them. He found people celebrating loudly and fearlessly. "To the boy who lived!" Everyone raised their glasses and cheered. "To Harry Potter!" Remus's heart stopped. Why were they calling Harry the boy who lived? He quickly apparated back to the apartment—Sirius would know what was going on. But the flat was empty.  
"Sirius." He looked in every room. "Sirius!" Remus began to panic before he remembered the cabin Sirius was staying at. He just had to be there. The werewolf hurried to the cabin and checked every room there too. "Sirius! Sirius Orion Black!" But it was empty. Remus decided to try James's place—he hoped he wouldn't be able to find it though.  
The werewolf did find it. He began to cry when he saw the rubble, much like Sirius did the day before. Someone put a hand on his shoulder. "So Harry's the boy who lived." Remus choked on the tears that were building up in his throat. "And James and Lily are the parents that died."  
"I'm sorry, Remus." Albus Dumbledore's voice did little to soothe the werewolf.  
"So Sirius really was the spy." He dug his nails into his palms.  
"I'm afraid so. He's already been arrested." Remus nodded slowly.  
"Where's Peter? Does he know yet?" Dumbledore squeezed Remus's shoulder.  
"Sirius killed him." The werewolf's eyes widened.  
"What?" He turned and looked at Albus; his amber eyes were begging to tell him it wasn't true. "He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't do any of this."  
"But he did, Remus." Remus fell to his knees. "We never really know the ones we love."  
"How would you know? How could you possibly know what this feels like?" Anger flashed in Dumbledore's blue eyes.  
"Because I fell in love with Gellert Grindelwald the first time I met him. And he's done many more horrible things than Sirius ever will." Remus dropped his head.  
"I'm sorry Albus. I di-didn't know." The fire faded from the older wizard's eyes. "Do yo-you still lo-love him?" Dumbledore sighed.  
"Yes. I love him terribly. But I've never forgiven him." He squeezed Remus's shoulder again. "And that's the biggest mistake I've ever made." Albus left Remus alone in the wreckage. The werewolf couldn't stop crying.

* * *

Things were exploding everywhere around Severus. He couldn't stop it; he felt like a young child again. His magic was out of control as well as his emotions. Lily was dead. After all his planning and scheming she was still dead—so was James. Severus screamed in anger and sadness. The only woman he had ever loved was dead. The kindest and most beautiful woman Severus had ever known was gone. He gripped his hair and screamed again. "Lily!" His scream turned into sobs. "Lily. Lily. Lily."


	15. Aftermath

Remus had no idea what to do with himself. A part of him never wanted to leave his and Sirius's old apartment ever again. Another part wanted to sell the flat and everything else Sirius had owned. The whole flat seemed to mock him. Everything in it reminded him that he was in love with a traitor and murderer. Then there was the fact that Remus still did love Sirius; he loved Sirius with everything he still had. But he also hated him. Sirius took everything from him. Remus hated him more than he had ever hated anyone before; more than Greyback, more than Voldemort, even more than his father. Sirius Orion Black was the best and worst thing to ever happen to Remus John Lupin. The conflicted werewolf buried his head in a pillow and instantly regretted it—everything still held Sirius's scent. He threw it across the room.

* * *

Sirius had no idea how long he had been sitting in his cell. It could have been two hours, two days, two weeks, two months, maybe even two years. The pureblood had lost tract of time rather quickly in Azkaban. He had also lost tract of his memories. Sirius was beginning to forget why he was wrongly imprisoned—but he did remember that he was innocent. His innocence was the only thing Sirius had left. He clutched at the smooth scar tissue on his neck; he wished he could remember how he got it. The wrongfully convicted prisoner began to shiver uncontrollably. He needed to escape. He needed to tell..to tell.. (Sirius shut his eyes tightly as thought of an amber boy. Why couldn't he remember his name?) to tell someone he was innocent.

* * *

The first full moon after Sirius's betrayal was the worst one Remus had ever gone through. For the first time in years he was aware of the ripping of his skin; the breaking of his bones. For the first time in years the transformation caused him unbearable pain. Remus screamed and screamed and screamed. Moony howled. The wolf clawed endlessly at himself. There were no other wolves to fight, and there were no other animals to calm him down. His teeth tore at his own flesh. But that wasn't enough. He wanted blood—he wanted Padfoot's blood.

Remus woke up the next morning covered in his own blood. He couldn't move. His leg felt mangled. And, despite everything, Remus wanted Sirius by his side. He wanted the pureblood to stroke his hair and tell him it wasn't true. Sirius couldn't have betrayed him; it couldn't be true. The werewolf tried his best to stand, but the pressure on his leg caused him to scream. He ended up collapsing. Remus began to cry.

* * *

Sirius had been in Azkaban for five months when Dumbledore finally decided that Remus needed help. The older wizard hadn't seen or heard from Remus since the Potters' and Peter's funerals. He was worried for the young werewolf. Albus knocked on the door of the flat that Remus ended up keeping. He heard rustling inside, but no one answered the door. He knocked again. "Remus could you please let me in. I have quite a number of things I would like to discuss with you." At this the door was opened, and the amber man faced his old headmaster.  
"Would you like some tea, Albus?" Dumbledore's electric blue eyes took in the werewolf's appearance with concern.  
"I'd love some. Tea cakes as well, Remus?" The young man gave a shaky smile.  
"Sure." Remus looked very battered and very thin. There was much more grey in his hair and there were many more scars that Albus could see. The headmaster of Hogwarts took a seat and tried not to notice the werewolf's bare cupboards. "Er, it appears that I don't have any cakes."  
"I thought not." Albus rested his chin on his hand. "When was the last time you ate, Remus?" The werewolf reddened.  
"This morning." Dumbledore gave him a stern look. "Er a couple of days ago." The old wizard sighed.  
"I'm worried about you, Remus." The werewolf averted his eyes. "You're killing yourself."  
"Not intentionally. I'm just still having trouble accepting it." Albus sighed again.  
"That's because you lock yourself in here all day. I got you a job in a muggle bookshop." Remus opened his mouth to protest. "You need the money. Your first day will be Monday."  
"Thanks Albus." The older wizard smiled. But then he caught sight of a stack of letters from the Ministry.  
"They're still questioning you?" Remus reddened again.  
"Yeah, every so often. They never really believed my innocence. I mean how could Sirius Black's lover not know he was a traitor—especially since he's a werewolf." Remus ran his hands through his hair. "Merlin Albus, as soon as they found out I was a werewolf it was like Voldemort had come back." Dumbledore put a hand on Remus's shoulder.  
"One day they'll see past the prejudice." The old wizard dropped his hand and moved towards the door. "And remember, Monday you start at the bookshop on Main Street." Albus left Remus alone. The werewolf smiled a bit. He'd be able to get past this—one step at a time of course.


	16. A Very Short Look In Azkaban

Sirius was steadily losing himself inside of Azkaban. He had no idea how long he had been in there, why he was in there, or who was to blame. The pureblood felt the unkempt beard that had grown since his arrest—Sirius bet he didn't even look like himself anymore. His hand dropped and the hair stood up on the back of his neck. Sirius felt cold. The dementors glided through carrying a new, screaming prisoner. The pureblood wasn't phased—he has seen it a million times before. The new prisoner would stop screaming soon; he'd give up soon. Sirius vaguely remembered his first day in Azkaban. He remembered fighting against the dementors' death grip. He remembered screaming of his innocence. He remembered calling out for the man with the scarred face. Merlin! Why couldn't he remember his name? Sirius knew the man was someone important to him, someone he loved. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember his name. He squeezed his eyes shut—he could recall the face almost perfectly. Sirius would return to that amber man.

* * *

Sirius had been in Azkaban for quite sometime when he saw a familiar face. The dementors dragged in a loudly laughing Bellatrix. "The Dark Lord will rise again! He has not been defeated!" Other prisoners hardly looked at her. "He will be stronger than ever before." Despite the dementors firm grasp on her, Bellatrix's eyes were filled with a fire. And then she spotted Sirius. "I never knew you had it in you, Sirius!" She grinned. "Regulus was a big disappoint. But not ickle little Sirius!" The wrongly-accused Black clenched his fists.  
"No!" Sirius shook his head. "No! I'm innocent!" Bellatrix laughed. "I'm innocent!" The dementors had began to feel Sirius's surge in emotion; one glided to his cell. She was still laughing as Sirius was trying to keep the cold from his heart. "I would never betray them!" But the dementor and the outburst were too much for Sirius—he blacked out.  
When Sirius awoke, Azkaban was as bleak as ever. Bellatrix was nowhere to be seen. The animagus gripped his head; he couldn't deal with this anymore. He needed to leave. He needed to prove his innocence.

* * *

It had been much harder to think than Sirius would ever have thought. Every time the pureblood tried to think of escape plans a dementor would glide by and his heart would freeze. This happened for what felt like forever. Sirius's spirit was crushed; he'd never make it out of here. The man with the scarred face was beginning to fade in Sirius's mind as well. It was becoming foggy and uncertain. Sirius was starting to panic. If he was forgetting the face that meant so much to him wouldn't he soon forget himself entirely? Would he even forget his innocence?


	17. Dating?

Remus was still working at the bookshop on Main Street. He was very much in debt, but he was happy. It had been five years since Sirius was arrested. Remus had packed up all his belongings, stopped Sirius's direct deposit for the rent, and began sleeping on their shared bed again. The werewolf was getting past this one step at a time. Sure it wasn't to say that Remus didn't think about Sirius; that he still didn't wake up sometimes and look for the familiar face beside him. Remus still craved Sirius Black, but he was learning not to. He was moving on.  
The amber man smiled slightly as he shelved new books. Remus was happy. He hadn't broken any ribs in a while, and he also hadn't thought about Sirius. Remus hadn't gotten any owls from the ministry, and he had met up with old Order members the other day. He was happy. A hand reached past his head and grabbed one of the books he just shelved. "Good haul today, Remus?" The werewolf smiled at the muggle costumer.  
"I would say so Mr. Smith." The costumer sighed.  
"How many times must I ask you to call me Oliver?" Remus smiled again and straightened up.  
"A few more. You're still a valued costumer." Oliver smiled slyly. He put the book back and grabbed Remus's wrist.  
"Well I'd like to be more than a costumer." Remus's eyes widened. "How would you like to get dinner sometime?" The werewolf spun around; the first thing he noticed was how Oliver's hair was the same colour as Sirius's.  
"I ca-can't." Remus flushed at his stutter. "I'm straight." The other man smirked.  
"I don't believe that." He was still holding onto Remus's wrist. The werewolf noticed this and jerked it away.  
"Well it's the truth. But now if you will excuse me." He gave Oliver a small smile before walking into the staff room. Once there, Remus slid to the ground. He had never even thought about dating anyone else. Sirius was always talking about marriage and forever. Even after his betrayal Remus hadn't thought about anyone else. Sirius was the only person he ever really dated and the only person he had ever planned to marry—the only person Remus would ever love. The werewolf sighed. He stood up and walked back into the shop. Oliver was still there, and Merlin was his hair just like Sirius's.

As soon as Remus apparated to his apartment, he tore open a box full of Sirius's things. He found a picture of him and the pureblood from Hogwarts. A longhaired Sirius was clutching at a very happy Remus; the pair would kiss every so often. The present Remus began to cry. He was still in love with Sirius. How could he even think about dating? The werewolf held the picture to his chest. Right now he only wanted Sirius; wanted Sirius to comfort him and tell him it still wasn't true. He threw the picture. The younger couple fell apart and looked up angrily. "He's just a liar anyway." Remus shoved the picture back in the box. What he wanted now was some firewhiskey.

* * *

Now that Remus knew that Oliver had been flirting he was beginning to realize that other costumers were too. And he had been flirting back. The werewolf had never really flirted on purpose before—Sirius had really decided everything himself, and those other people came to him. Remus groaned and put his head in his hands. He didn't even have any friends left to talk about it with. Everyone in Remus's life had left that night in one way or another. The werewolf hit his head against a bookshelf. "Everything alright, Remus?"  
"Everything's fine Mr. Smith." He gave the muggle a small smile.  
"You must lie a lot, Remus." Oliver brought a hand to Remus's cheek; the werewolf edged away slightly. "So why won't you actually go on a date with me?"  
"Er..it's a bit of a personal story." The werewolf started moving away.

"Full of heartbreak and betrayal I suppose?" Remus winced; Oliver smirked. "That doesn't sound too out of the ordinary."  
"His betrayal was killing our friends." The muggle's face dropped. "He's been in prison for the last few years." Remus smiled sadly.  
"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Oliver looked horrified with himself.  
"There's no way you would've." The werewolf patted the muggle's shoulder and walked past him to the back room. Once there he ran his hands through his hair. Merlin.

Remus went through the boxes again. He found the same picture and shoved it under his pillow. He was still in love with the bloody bastard and there was no changing it.


	18. A Short Bit of Angst

Every so often Remus thought about Harry. He wondered how the baby who ended the war was. The werewolf wished he could have able to adopt Harry; the baby would have been a constant reminder of Lily and James. Remus hoped his aunt and uncle were treating him well. He hoped they understood what that little boy meant to him. He sighed and sunk into a nearby chair. Remus was tired. The werewolf had been tired for quite a long time—tired and old. His hair was overcome with grey, and he ached. His body ached and so did his heart. Nine years had passed and Remus had only gotten worse. He still had the picture of Sirius under his pillow; he still thought of Sirius quite often. The werewolf wondered if Sirius ever thought of him. Probably not.  
Remus sighed again. He was getting too old.

* * *

Sirius remembered the baby. He remembered holding the baby with the amber man. And when the animagus really concentrated he could remember the names Harry and Remus. But they always disappeared as soon as the dementors would pass by. It took everything Sirius had to remember that he was innocent. He didn't belong in Azkaban. But his hope of escaping was diminishing. Sirius had been incarcerated for what felt like a lifetime, and he had no ideas. All the terrible stories he heard about Azkaban as a kid were true—this place was like a nightmare. A part of the pureblood had given up entirely; a part of him just wished for death. He'd much rather have that than the kiss.

* * *

The werewolf knew he was being watched. Since Sirius's arrest the Ministry and Order had both watched him. He had been interrogated, accused, and comforted. Even after all this time they were still doing it. Whenever an old Death Eater acted up he was called in for questioning. (Was he _sure_ Sirius had never mentioned any sorts of plan? Was he _really_ on the Ministry's side?) Whenever an old Order member 'happened to be in the neighborhood' they stopped in. (How have you been? Have you met anyone?) The answer to the second question was always no. No Remus hadn't met anyone. No Remus hadn't really considered dating again. The no would usually cause the visitor to spout off a list of single friends. But the werewolf wasn't interested. No matter how cute or interesting the person sounded they still weren't Sirius. Besides Remus was a twenty-nine year old werewolf that looked at least fifty—not something most people would want to date.  
And the transformations were still horrible. Every full moon was still torture on Remus's body. He now had more scars than he could count. At least half of them were from the war—the war that ruined Remus's life. Every so often Remus still dreamt of Greyback and his arguments with Sirius. Every so often he still woke up crying and afraid. But no one wants to be there to comfort an old werewolf. 

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait and short chapter. But I just started college a little while ago so the workload has piled up. I will try to update as soon as I can!


	19. Teaching and Escaping

Albus Dumbledore was in quite the predicament. His last two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers did not work out and no one else seemed to want the job. Albus needed someone he could trust especially since Harry was at Hogwarts. The boy's first two years were full of more danger than the headmaster had wanted. He had hoped that Hogwarts would offer protection to the boy-who-lived. But so far Harry had been under constant attack by enemies and peers alike. That's why Albus would need a teacher he could trust. The wizard finished writing his letter to his old friend and hoped he'd accepted.

Upon returning home and seeing an owl holding a letter baring the Hogwarts crest, Remus was surprised. His surprise only grew when he read the letter. Dumbledore wanted him to teach at Hogwarts. He wanted Remus to be a _teacher_. Now Remus had always dreamed of having a better life and becoming a teacher, but he knew it was just a dream. He was a werewolf for Merlin's sake. So Remus assumed that Dumbledore was either very desperate or very optimistic. Either way the half-blood knew he'd have to decline—it wouldn't be safe for him to be around all those students.  
But it'd be nice. Harry had probably already started school, and it would be nice to see him. It would be nice to have a job that had a decent salary. Remus sighed. He wanted to teach at Hogwarts. The werewolf scribbled a quick reply and set the owl away. Maybe there was room for hope after all.

* * *

Sirius had long since given up. Azkaban was the world's strongest prison, and there was no way he could escape. The animagus was even starting to lose his last threads of sanity; he was starting to forget the reason he was there. But then the Minster came. He came with his little bowler hat and his copy of the Daily Prophet. And then Sirius remembered. He remembered and recognized the picture in the paper. Sirius ever so politely asked the Minster for the paper—which shocked the man no doubt—and he stared at the picture. It was him; the reason Sirius was locked away. He'd recognize that rat anywhere. Rather than rage, Sirius felt happy. His hope was restored—he would be a free man once again. And he knew were the rat was.

* * *

The headmaster had an answer for everything. He planted the Whomping Willow when Remus went to school, and he convinced Severus Snape to make Wolfsbane for him to teach. The werewolf really wanted to know what in the world Albus could have said to get Snape to agree. Remus had to admit it was weird thinking about Severus Snape again. It was weird packing up for Hogwarts again too. But Remus was incredibly happy. He was going back to the place where he had the happiest years of his life.  
And he was going to teach Harry Potter. Remus was finally going to see his best friend's son again. His smile grew as finished packing away his books. The halfblood still couldn't believe it. _He_was going to teach at Hogwarts. It was always something he never dared to hope for. Remus Lupin was extremely happy for the first time in thirteen years and nothing was going to change that.

* * *

He had a plan—one that might actually work. Now that Sirius knew he could still take revenge there was nothing that could stop him. There was no way he'd ever forget again. The pureblood clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He had to do it now; he had to do it before he lost his resolve. Sirius peered out of his cell and saw a dementor-free hallway. He closed his eyes again and concentrated. His body was shifting. It felt just like the good old days. Padfoot replaced Sirius in his cell. The shaggy dog looked around the cell once last time before slipping through the bars. Padfoot noiselessly crept through the corridors. All the dementors he passed didn't notice. It was actually much easier to break out of Azkaban than Sirius had thought. In no time at all he was in the bone-chilling sea. But it could take it. Sirius just focused on three words: he's at Hogwarts. He's at Hogwarts. He's at Hogwarts.


	20. The Aftermath

Remus apparently wasn't allowed to have anything go his way. Just a few days after Dumbledore's letter the news that shocked the wizarding world reached Remus. The werewolf picked up his copy of the Daily Prophet and his heart stopped. Splashed across the front page was the man who ruined his life. Sirius Black had become the first person to break out of Azkaban. Remus couldn't tear his eyes from picture. Someone must have taken it recently; Sirius looked wilder than he ever had before. If it wasn't for the eyes Remus might not have recognized him at all. The werewolf put the newspaper on his table and sank into a chair. Why did Sirius have to do this now? And why in the world did Remus think he'd be able to be happy?

* * *

Dumbledore wasn't as young as he used to be. He rested his chin on his hands as he looked at the newspaper. It had been thirteen long years since he last saw Sirius Black; it had been thirteen long years since they thought they won the war. Albus was still staring at his newspaper intently when Severus Snape stormed into the room. "How the hell did he do it?" The younger wizard began pacing. "He must have had help! There's no way Black could've done it." Severus continued to pace as Albus sat quietly. "I bet Lupin helped him." At this Dumbledore sighed and sat up straighter.  
"I do not think Remus had a hand in this." Severus opened his mouth to protest but the older wizard raised a hand and silenced him. "You did not see him on that day Severus. If you did you would understand." The pale man sneered but said nothing. "Remus will still be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Severus's sneer turned into a scowl.  
"You think it's wise to give Black a friend in the castle?" Albus shook his head.  
"Remus is no friend to Sirius anymore."

* * *

After assurance from Dumbledore, Remus finished packing up his belongings. He was finally ready to return to Hogwarts. Remus was afraid though. He was afraid of the students, afraid of failing as a teacher, and afraid of Sirius Black. The werewolf wasn't afraid of him the same way as everyone else. Rather he was afraid the fugitive would worm his way back into his life. Remus was afraid that Sirius would somehow find a way to sneak back into his heart. The werewolf shook his head and decided not to dwell on it. He wouldn't be running into Sirius anytime soon anyway. He put the last of his books away and admired his handiwork. Most of Remus's flat was packed away in boxes and ready to head to Hogwarts. Even Sirius's escape had not dampened Remus's excitement to return. But the werewolf faltered for a moment. He crept back into his room and reached a hand under his pillow. A younger version of himself and Sirius grinned up at Remus. The wizard debating stuffing the picture into his robes and taking it with him. But he remembered that one Severus Snape still worked at Hogwarts and would make his life a hell if he ever found out. So with a sigh Remus tossed the picture on his bed. It was time he moved on.

* * *

A large, shaggy dog slinked through the alleyways. The dirty stray had avoided police and animal control alike for days as it wandered to its destination. It finally sat once the sign for Private Drive was in view. The dog, that wasn't really a dog at all, wondered which house he was in. He wondered where the last part of his best friends was. The dog wanted to sigh. There was no chance he'd get to see Harry. He was about to turn around and finish his trek to Hogwarts when he heard frantic footsteps. The dog stepped closer to the street and was pleasantly surprised to see what looked that James Potter. He stepped even closer and the boy noticed. Harry fell over and the animagus realized he should probably leave. He slunk back into the alley and thought that maybe he'd make one more detour before Hogwarts.


	21. Back at Hogwarts

Due to monthly circumstances Remus hadn't the strength to apparate to Hogsmeade. He made himself comfortable on the Hogwarts Express and couldn't help but think about his own days as a student. The werewolf began to drift off as he thought about the Marauders in these compartments.  
_  
Sirius ran his hands through the werewolf's hair as the four Marauders planned beginning of the year pranks. "I was thinking we replace Snivellus's pumpkin juice with Skelegrow." Peter sniggered as James looked around for approval. "I've already mastered the Switching Spell so it shouldn't be a problem."  
"Then why just stop with Snape?" The other three boys looked at Remus in shock. It wasn't often the werewolf offered up prank ideas, but when he did they were brilliant.  
"How devious of you Rem." Sirius gently nibbled on his boyfriend's ear. "You're always full of surprises."_

Remus was jolted from the memory with bittersweet feelings. His wolfish ears had heard his own name; it appeared he was no longer alone in the compartment. He was about to properly introduce himself when he heard a voice right from his dream. It sounded like James Potter was right across from him in the tiny compartment. Remus's heart stopped for a moment and his mind went back to his memory. Maybe his whole life had just been one bad dream. Maybe he'd open his eyes and all his friends would be smiling at him. But then the girl spoke again, and Remus knew it was a silly thing to hope for.  
The werewolf spent the rest of the journey feigning sleep—or at least until he felt cold. Remus felt like he'd never be warm again. He also felt the lights shut off and more bodies enter his compartment. They were all muttering as the coldness got closer. He finally chose this moment to stand up. "Quiet!" The muttering finally died down as conjured some flames. "Stay where you are." A dementor entered their compartment and then he heard Harry scream. He worriedly glanced at the boy, who had seemed to collapse, before turning his gaze back to the dementor. "None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go." The dementor ignored him and reached out towards Harry. With a bit of guilt Remus thought back to Sirius stroking his hair and held up his wand. "Expecto patronum!" The magic felt his guilt and his patronus came out only as a shadow of its usual self. But it did the job. The dementor left and the lights came back on soon after. He looked around at the shaken children before searching around for some chocolate. Remus only looked at them again once his heard Harry.  
"W-what?" The werewolf's heart clenched. The boy not only sounded like James, but he looked exactly like him. Well except for the emerald eyes that turned his way; those were Lily's. Remus answered all the children's questions and handed out the chocolate before leaving. He had no idea why dementors would search the Hogwarts Express. Did it mean that Sirius had been sighted around here? He knew it would be too much to hope that Sirius wasn't aiming for Hogwarts. After all these years the pureblood was still out to ruin his life.

* * *

Professor Remus Lupin collapsed onto his new bed after the feast. He had never been more exhausted in his life. He had to deal with a full moon, dementors, and Severus Snape staring him down all dinner. It was a lot for the werewolf to deal with. Someone knocked at his door and he sighed. His worst fears were confirmed when he found Severus at the other side of the door. "Hello Severus, what can I help you with?" The head of the Slytherin house sneered and pushed his way inside.  
"Well _Remus_ I just came back to make sure you're all settled in." The malice in his voice told Remus that Severus very much wished he were anywhere else.  
"How kind of you." He sneered again. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" The black-haired man narrowed his eyes.  
"I don't trust you Lupin." The werewolf did not miss the emphasis placed on his surname. "I don't care what Dumbledore says, I know you're helping him." Remus's heart stopped for the second time that day.  
"Well you're wrong. I would never help a traitor." Severus laughed harshly.  
"Then why is there still love in your eyes? That bastard took everything away from me, and you still love him!" Now it was Remus's turn to narrow his eyes.  
"You think he ruined your life? I have absolutely no one left. He lied to me, killed our friends, and broke my heart. So don't you dare accuse me of having anything to do with him." By the end Remus's voice came out as a growl. Severus scowled and left in a huff. Remus hit the bed once again. This was turning out to be a very eventful first day back at Hogwarts.

* * *

The dog kept its belly close to the ground as it slinked through the night. It had taken weeks with the detour to reach Hogwarts. He had been thoroughly disappointed to find their old flat empty and the amber man was nowhere in sight. But he should have expected it. He should have known that he'd move on. The dog gave a whimper, but continued moving towards the familiar tree. The willow was uncharacteristically still. He did his best not to stir it as he crawled to the trunk. The dog crawled through the tunnel and through the battered house before collapsing from exhaustion. His body became one of a tattered man before drifting into sleep.


	22. First Moon

He was actually a pretty good professor, if he did say so himself. All the students seemed to be learning and understanding. Even with Sirius Black still out there he was happy. The werewolf had been delighted to find that Harry was an excellent wizard and was just as kind as his mother. After talking to Harry more, Remus no longer saw James; now looking at the boy he saw the best parts of both his old friends. Harry Potter was an extraordinary kid, and not just because of the scar on his forehead. Remus smiled to himself and went back to reading essays from his fifth-year classes. He dared to hope he could continue like this for a while.

* * *

Sirius had thought the dementors had really made him crazy. On one of his treks around the castle he saw a familiar face. Even with his black-and-white canine vision he knew it was the amber man. Padfoot retreated into the shadows and wondered why his mind would play such a cruel trick on him. He brooded over the man in the shack and thought about how unfair it was. He knew there wasn't a chance he could see the real man again, but he desperately wanted to.

It wasn't until the animagus saw the man for the sixth time that he realized he was real. The amber man _really _was at Hogwarts. Padfoot left out a joyful bark. He could get his revenge and his heart back all at once. For the first time since he saw Wormtail in the paper he had hope. He was going to clear his name, kill the real traitor, and win the amber man back. Padfoot was about to bark again when he saw the man's noise twitch. The dog slinked back to the Whomping Willow and began to plot.

* * *

The first time Severus brewed Remus the Wolfsbane Potion the werewolf was wary. He knew the other man was under orders from Dumbledore, but that didn't mean he still wouldn't tamper with it. The concoction tasted vile; Severus took satisfaction from the face Remus pulled. "Not to your taste Lupin?" Remus smiled.  
"Oh no, it's perfect. Thank you Severus." The head of Slytherin scowled and slinked out of the room. The werewolf locked the door behind him and looked at him chambers warily. While he trusted Albus Dumbledore with his life he did not trust himself. How was the older wizard sure this would work? Remus began to strip as night fell. The unmistakable pain began to take hold. His bones snapped and fur grew. Remus was pleasantly surprised that when this stopped he could still think. He was still in control. The wolf looked around the room before curling itself into a ball underneath the desk.  
The entire night passed with the wolf wrapped around itself. He didn't attack himself or search for anyone else. The wolf could get used to this.

Sirius waited in the Shrieking Shack all night. It was the full moon so Remus had to come here. He was hoping Moony would know that Padfoot was innocent; the wolf would smell it on him or something. But Sirius waited all night and Remus did not come. The fugitive was upset. Maybe his mind really had been playing tricks on him after all. Or maybe he was remembering the man all wrong. He pulled at his unruly hair and cried.

* * *

Remus hesitated in front of Severus's office. He knew the potions master deserved a heartfelt thank you, but it was _Snape_. Severus Snape: the boy who used to hex them; who used to follow them around; who he also killed. Remus grimaced and shook the thought from his head. He knocked lightly. "Enter." He took a deep breath before opening the door. "Why Lupin, this is certainly a surprise."  
"I came to properly thank you for yesterday." Severus smirked.  
"Yesterday? What ever could you be referring to?" Remus gritted his teeth. He should've known Severus would be a bastard when he was trying to be nice.  
"For the potion." His smirk grew. "Please don't make me say it Severus." He scowled.  
"Very well. If that's all you wanted then you can leave now." Remus turned around and rolled his eyes. After all these years Snape was still a rude git.


	23. Halloween

It was Halloween, a Hogsmeade trip, and the full moon. Remus knew he had very little to look forward to. That is to say until Harry Potter stopped by. As much as the werewolf had wanted to immediately attach himself to the boy and smother him with stories of his parents, Remus remained professional. The boy raised his spirits considerably. While he didn't get a chance to tell Harry how great of a man James was, he did cheer up the boy with a promise of the Patronus Charm. Their excellent tea-time chatter was only interrupted by Severus; of course the greasy-haired git made a show of delivering the potion. Remus has almost laughed outright when Harry was hinting at the Wolfsbane being poisoned. Sometimes Remus wished it was. When Harry eventually left, the werewolf smiled sadly. He was still struck by how much Harry looked like James.

In the Shrieking Shack Sirius heard all the young Hogwarts kids swapping ghost stories. He smiled a little at it. After all these years of silence people still believed the shack was haunted. After all these years Sirius's amber man was still remembered. His smile turned into a small frown as he thought about the man. He _needed_ to remember the name. It had been wolfish, just like him. Sirius thought maybe if he tried talking his mouth would remember it. But the fugitive could only manage a croak—it had been so long since he used his human voice. He continued trying until night fell. He didn't get anything more than croaking out his own name (which still sounded foreign to him). "Sirius Black." The man shuddered before shifting into the form of a dog. He has a mission to accomplish.  
The dog easily crossed the castle grounds and slipped through one of the passages he discovered as a student. His canine ears heard the celebration going on in the Great Hall; he would have smiled if he still had a human mouth. The dog was slinking towards the kitchens when he picked up a familiar scent. Moony. Padfoot's instincts took old and he searched for Moony.

Remus's transformation was going just as smooth as the last one when his wolfish nose caught a familiar scent. His ears flattened, and he began to growl. Padfoot. Half of the wolf wanted to tear him apart, while the other half wanted to snuggle into him. Even with the Wolfsbane Remus had to fight the wolf for control. Trapped inside, Remus lamented—he knew Sirius was in the castle, but he couldn't warn anyone. Moony's tail twitched as the dog's scent got closer. Just as he thought he'd see a familiar muzzle push open the door, the scent began to become fainter. The wolf's growls stopped and a small whimper escaped. Both Remus and the wolf had wanted to see Padfoot, even for just a moment.

When he was practically on top of Moony Sirius began to realize how stupid he was being. He only had one chance for this. After he killed the traitor he'd find the wolf. He could've breathed a sigh of relief when he still heard the feast going on. The dog was able to sneak into the kitchens, grab a knife, and climb the changing staircases. Sirius didn't remember changing back into a human, but there he was standing in front of the Fat Lady with a knife in his hand. "Let me in." She only raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Password." And then he heard Peeves cackling.  
"Let me in." The poltergeist was floating around, but hadn't raised an alarm yet.  
"Not without the password." Sirius growled, but she wasn't fazed. Peeves began to cackle more and got closer to Sirius.  
"You should hear the nasty things they say. I hear you're _looooony_. But I thought you've always been a bit mad." The animagus was trying to block him out.  
"I don't care about the password."  
"You never did care about rules Sirius Black!" Peeves practically bellowed his name. Sirius cursed and did the only thing he could think of—he slashed at the Fat Lady. She screamed, but was able to dart out of the way fast enough. Her painting was tattered, and he was no closer to getting in. Peeves grinned. "Nasty, nasty temper." Sirius scampered away and was a dog again in no time. He was safe back in the shack when panic started in the castle.

* * *

The search for Sirius Black was still underway when Remus woke. The werewolf rushed to Dumbledore, who was currently being whispered to by Severus. A smirk crossed the younger wizard's face. "Ah, just the man I was talking about." Remus sighed.  
"Let me guess, you're suggesting I let him in?" Severus smirked; that seemed as good as a confession. "Have you forgotten that I passed last night as a wolf? Someone would've noticed that letting a fugitive in." Snape's face turned sour.  
"Well then you did beforehand."  
"I was with Harry most of the day." Dumbledore smiled slightly; he hadn't felt like interrupting the two. The potions master gritted his teeth.  
"I just know it was you." He stormed away with his robe billowing behind him.  
"Don't worry Remus." Albus placed a comforting hand on Remus's shoulder. "No one believes you helped him. Severus really doesn't, he's just still a bit bitter." The werewolf smiled at the headmaster.  
"Thank you Albus."


End file.
